Day, Ross Reach Argentina Main Draw

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (May 22, 2013) – The U.S. women’s beach volleyball team of Emily Day and Summer Ross defeated compatriots Jennifer Fopma and Brooke Sweat on Wednesday to advance to the main draw of the FIVB Corrientes Grand Slam in Argentina.

Emily Day, right, celebrates with Summer Ross in Argentina.

Both U.S. women’s teams had byes in the first round of qualifying. In the second round, Day (Torrance, Calif.) and Ross (San Diego, Calif.), seeded 11th in qualifying, defeated Fopma (Bellflower, Calif.) and Sweat (Fort Myers, Fla.), seeded No. 6, 21-12, 14-21, 15-10 in 45 minutes.

Day and Ross advanced to the main draw, which begins pool play on Thursday. Day and Ross are seeded 27th in the main draw and will play in Pool F.

Other U.S. women’s teams that will begin play in the main draw on Thursday are April Ross (Costa Mesa, Calif.) and Jennifer Kessy (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.), seeded No. 2, and Lauren Fendrick (Carlsbad, Ind.) and Brittany Hochevar (Fowler, Colo.), seeded No. 20.

On the men’s side, the U.S. beach volleyball team of Casey Jennings (Las Vegas, Nev.) and Stafford Slick (Andover, Minn.) failed to qualify for the main draw. Jennings and Slick, seeded 18th in qualifying, fell to France’s Andy Cès and Edouard Rowlandson, 21-19, 21-18 in 42 minutes.

Gibb/Patterson and Rogers/Doherty will both play in Pool G and will face each other in their first match on Thursday. Lucena and Keenan will play in Pool B.

The gold medal teams in each gender in the FIVB Corrientes Grand Slam will each split $33,000, the silver $22,000, the bronze $16,500 and fourth place $12,900. The women’s medal matches will be held on Saturday and the men’s medal matches on Sunday. The FIVB Corrientes Grand Slam will be the 286th FIVB men’s event since the FIVB began play in 1989 and the 248th FIVB women’s tournament since they started in 1992.